


The Christmas Letter

by Impala_Chick



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Businessman Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Charity Auctions, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Inheritance AU, Christmas Party, F/M, Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Manager Gwen, Past Relationship(s), Personal Assistant Merlin (Merlin), Secret Identity, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21940531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: Before ambitious heir Arthur Pendragon can inherit his father's business, he must deliver a special Christmas letter to his dad's former business partner Gaius in Camelot. When a snowstorm strands him and his personal assistant Merlin at the Camelot Inn, he gets to know Manager Guinevere and discovers the true gifts of Christmas.Or, a Christmas Inheritance AU.
Relationships: Guinevere/Arthur Pendragon, Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 21





	The Christmas Letter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AJsRandom](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AJsRandom/gifts).



> Happy Holidays, ajsrandom! 
> 
> This was inspired by the prompt: Arthur had a terrible breakup (with Sophia) and Merlin and Morgana decide to play matchmaker.

Arthur lays sprawled on the big leather chair in his office, twirling a pen in his hand.

Merlin, his personal assistant, strides into the room with a black portfolio tucked under his arm and two cups of coffee. 

“Arthur, you can’t just hide out in here all day. You have a conference call in 10 minutes. And then you have lunch scheduled with your Father.”

Arthur turns his head to glare at Merlin. 

“As much as I appreciate the coffee, you can’t pay me enough to get out of this chair.” 

“I don’t pay you, you pay me.” Merlin shot back. When Arthur makes no move to get up, Merlin stepped closer and sat down heavily on the arm of the chair.

“Look, Arthur. I really am sorry about Sophia,” Merlin says softly. 

Arthur looks up at him and narrows his eyes. “We are not talking about her,” he says slowly enough for even Merlin to understand. 

Merlin rolls his eyes. “Fine. But get your feet off the upholstery before I end up having to clean it.”

Arthur barely listens to anything that is said on the conference call, relying on Merlin to take diligent notes. 

It’s nearing the end of the year, and Arthur should be worried about the year-end quotas and the holiday payout for their shareholders. But all he can think about is the fact that he’s going to have to face Christmas alone. Uther’s Christmas parties are always opulent and the alcohol flows freely, but it never really feels comfortable. Arthur was really hoping to be able to bring to Sophia this year and have a romantic holiday. 

At lunch, Arthur meets his father in a small cafe. Once Uther arrives, he throws a newspaper down on the table before saying a word. Arthur stares silently down at the headline.

**_Party Heir At It Again_ **

There’s a less than flattering picture of Arthur falling into the Christmas tree at the Toys for Tots company fundraiser. Arthur sighs heavily.

“Father, I was dared. I swear it won’t happen again, I just -” 

Uther holds up his hand to interrupt him.

“A dare? Are you a child? Arthur, this is exactly why I don’t think you’re ready to take over Pendragon Enterprises.” Uther fixes him with one of his disappointed stares, and Arthur does his best not to shrink away from it. 

“I know I have to do better. Let me make it up to you. I can throw another fundraiser?” Arthur scrambles to figure out a way to appease his father.

“No, Arthur,” Uther shakes his head. At least he’s not shouting, which is better than what Arthur expected. “I think you’re too caught up in the company’s public image, which is important. But that shouldn’t be your number one priority. Pendragon Enterprises has vast resources now, and we make some of the best Christmas gifts. That is only because Gaius and I keep in mind all we've learned in Camelot.”

Arthur carefully schools his expression, cognizant of the fact that he is on thin ice with his father. His father is scarier when he’s like this, calm and quiet and most definitely furious.

“You can trust me, Father. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you mean that, Arthur. But I also think you have more to learn before you’re ready to take over the company.” Uther pauses and takes a deep breath. Arthur suspects he does it mostly for dramatic effect. “You’re going to be one to deliver the Christmas letter to Uncle Gaius this year.”

Arthur’s mouth falls open. He can’t help it. 

“You want me to go back to Camelot?” Arthur sputters.

“Yes. Hand-deliver the letter, learn something from the locals, and keep your identity a secret.”

He knows about the tradition. Uncle Gaius and Uther started the company together in Camelot. So every year they write each other Christmas letters and meet in Camelot to deliver them. It forces them to reflect on the past year, and it’s also a reason to come together before the holidays. But none of that explains why Arthur has to be the one to go. Usually he stays in London until Uther returns for the Christmas party.

“How am I going to keep my identity hidden?” Arthur scoffs. He knows he’s somewhat notorious. That day’s newspaper proved that. 

“Camelot isn’t exactly caught up in London gossip, Arthur. I think you’ll be surprised by how incognito you can be.” Uther taps his chin in thought and then picks up the lunch menu that was left on the table. “And I’m only giving you 100 pounds and your travel ticket. No credit cards. You’ll have to make that work.”

Arthur groans at the level of micromanaging his Father is trying to exert.

“Why does it matter how much I spend?”

“Because you’ll see that not everyone has the things that you do. And if nothing else, you could use some punishment after your little outburst. I’ll be tasking Merlin with making sure you follow the rules.”

Arthur groans and rolls his eyes, but shakes his Father’s hand on it. If living in Camelot for a day will get his Father to believe in him again, he’ll do it. 

“And you can say hello to Morgana while you’re there. It will be a great little holiday visit.”

Arthur smiles at the mention of his cousin. He’d forgotten she moved to Camelot. With Morgana in the mix, the holiday was sure to be exciting at the very least.

&

“Arthur, you do recall that you’re supposed to be undercover?” Merlin says.

“Yes, Merlin. I’m not a total idiot.” Arthur feels his leather shoe squish into the snow once he steps off the bus, and he grimaces.

“Right, well. Would a normal person have someone _else_ carry their bags?” Merlin crosses his arms and tilts his head towards where the bus driver is unloading the luggage from the luggage compartment. 

Arthur scowls at him, but dutifully walks over to grab his two large roller suitcases. Merlin follows behind him with his backpack over his shoulder and a smug smile on his face. Clearly, his personal assistant is enjoying himself. Arthur nods at the driver and starts to push his suitcases down the icy sidewalk.

“I thought we’d only be here for a day? Why’d you pack so much?” Merlin says. Arthur turns around to shoot him another glare, letting go of his suitcase in the process. It continues its roll down the sidewalk and teeters off the edge. Arthur turns back around just in time to see it smack against the pavement, right in front of a white toyota truck that has screeched to a halt.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” Arthur says as she scrambles to pick up his suitcase. The side of it had burst open, and Arthur’s unmentionables are scattered in the snow. He can hear Merlin snickering behind him, but he doesn’t bother turning around. He feels the tips of his ears heat up in embarrassment as the driver of the truck gets out and hurries around to the front.

“Let me help with that,” the driver says. The first thing Arthur notices is her sparkling brown eyes and curly hair. She reaches down to help Arthur stuff his clothes back into his bag.

“It’s alright, really,” Arthur says as he tries to shut the suitcase again. 

“Gwen?” He hears Merlin shout excitedly from behind him. The woman straightens up and fixes her gaze on Merlin. Her face lights up in a beautiful smile and then she and Merlin are embracing like old friends.

Arthur finally gets the clasp to lock on his bag and straightens up. He clears his throat to interrupt their hug.

“Gwen, this is Arthur Pen - Packington!” Merlin says as he gestures at Arthur. “Arthur, meet Guinevere.”

“Good to meet you, Arthur. Any friend of Merlin’s is a friend of mine. I’m glad you guys came for Christmas!” 

Arthur thinks about kissing her hand, but then remembers that’s probably not what a normal Camelot resident would do. So he shakes her offered hand instead.

“Guinevere, the pleasure is mine. But I’m afraid I’m not staying that long. I just have a couple of errands to run,” Arthur explains. He’s got his father’s dreadful party and after that, there’s a beach vacation that is calling his name. He’s hoping that keeping busy over the holiday will make him forget all about Sophia.

“Anyway, thanks for picking us up,” Merlin says. Arthur didn’t know they were getting picked up, but he’s not going to object. He wants to get out of the cold. 

Guinevere nods politely and helps Arthur put his bags into the back of the truck. Merlin elbows Arthur as they climb into the cab.

“You don’t have to be in such a hurry, you know,” Merlin hisses. Arthur rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything. Merlin knows better than anybody the real reason Arthur is here, so he shouldn’t be surprised by Arthur’s eagerness to finish his task.

Once Guinevere is behind the wheel, the ride to Camelot Inn is pretty uneventful. Arthur discovers that Guinevere and Merlin grew up together and know a lot of the same people. Arthur keeps sneaking glances at Guinevere, who talks with her hands and is quick to smile or laugh. 

She parks outside the inn, and Arthur grabs his own bags as they all make their way inside. Arthur pulls off his jacket and looks around for a coat rack or a bell boy, but finds neither. 

“Merlin, could you -” After glancing at Merlin’s scowling face, Arthur decides not to ask him for help. He drapes his jacket over his arm instead and heads over to the check-in desk. There is a huge Christmas tree in the little living room, to the right of the entryway. There’s a banister that goes up to the second floor, completely decked out in red and green tinsel. Twinkling lights give the whole room a cozy feel that Arthur is surprised he likes.

Once he reaches the desk, he looks up to see Guinevere smiling up at him. 

“Do you have a reservation?” She shakes the mouse of the computer and clicks something on the screen.

“So you drive the taxi _and_ run the front desk?” Arthur asks.

“I’m actually the manager. I just drive the Taxi when Olivia is on break,” Guinevere says without looking up.

“Oh,” Arthur sputters, surprised. He finds himself feeling embarrassed for making assumptions about her. “Well, I’m here to see Gaius. Do you know where he is?”

“I think he just left,” Guinevere says as she flips through a book on the desk. Just then, someone taps Arthur on the shoulder and he turns around to see Morgana beaming at him.

“Arthur!” Morgana pulls him into a tight hug, and he awkwardly pats her on the back. She pulls back to squint at him.

“Oh, don’t look so excited to see me. And Gaius left this morning, said he’d be back when he’s back.”

Arthur groaned and Morgana punched him in the arm. “Hey!”

“I am excited to see you, Morgana. But I really need to see Gaius.” 

“How do you two know each other?” Guinivere asks from behind the desk.

“We’re cousins,” Morgana says at the same time Arthur says, “We went to school together.”

“Both of those things are true actually,” Merlin pipes up. Arthur cringes but tries to paste on a smile. He hopes he didn’t just accidentally reveal his true identity. Guinevere raises an eyebrow but doesn’t press him about it, and Arthur breathes a sigh of relief.

As Merlin checks them in, Arthur looks up at the corkboard behind the desk. He sees faded photographs of happy people gathered in front of the Inn, or sitting in front of the fire. One photo in particular catches his eye. He immediately recognizes the blonde woman sitting in the striped recliner. 

It’s his mother, Ygraine. Uther is standing next to her, looking happier than Arthur’s ever seen him. Ygraine is laughing at something, her blue eyes shining. Arthur feels his heart constrict from the intimacy of the photograph. 

“Are you okay?” Guinevere asks softly, glancing at the corkboard.

“Yeah, of course,” Arthur says gruffly. He hands her cash for one night’s stay and then follows her to his new room, trying and failing to look smooth as he lugs his bags behind him. Merlin and Morgana are chatting like old friends even though Arthur is fairly confident they’ve never met. He feels like he’s already blown his chance to talk to Guinevere after all the awkwardness before, so he shoves his hands in his pockets and doesn’t say anything.

As soon as the girls leave the room, Merlin calls the bigger bed. 

“I think this fits in with the whole theme of you slumming it for Uther,” Merlin says smugly as he lays down on the bed and crosses his legs.

“Okay, first of all - this isn’t slumming it. Second of all -”

Arthur doesn’t get to his second point because Merlin promptly cuts him off.

“Enough whining, your highness. Let’s enjoy our time here, shall we?” Merlin tucks his hands behind his head and looks entirely too pleased with himself. Arthur throws a pillow at him.

“So do you think Guinevere knows who I am?” Arthur asks from his own bed.

“Why are you asking?” Merlin sounds teasing, but Arthur doesn’t rise to the bait.

“No reason,” Arthur lies.

He doesn’t know why exactly, but he wants her to like him.

&

The next day, no one seems to be able to find Gaius. And Morgana swears he doesn’t have a cell phone, so Arthur just sits around the Inn and tries to find something to do. He can’t get signal on his own phone, so he starts to feel a little anxious about who may be trying to reach him. The hotel wifi is apparently down because of the impending storm, and he almost orders Merlin to go find a business establishment with an internet connection before he remembers that he’s supposed to be blending in.

The storm turns into something very terrifying very quickly, and Arthur wraps a blanket around his shoulders and stares out the bedroom window as snow pelts the Inn. 

“Shit, Merlin. We are never getting out of here. And I’m nearly out of money.”

“Oh, cheer up. We’re getting a white Christmas!” Merlin is way too excited given the circumstances. He bounds out of the room. Arthur groans, but shrugs off the blanket and dutifully follows. 

When he emerges, he notices a bunch of new people gathered in the living room. A police officer is ushering more people inside.

“What happened?” Arthur asks, immediately concerned.

“Power went down on the East Side. We only have one shelter in town, so Gwen said the overflow could come here,” the Officer says.

Arthur nods and walks over to where Merlin is handing out blankets. He grabs some and helps pass them out. He notices Guinevere as soon as she walks in the door. She shrugs snow off her coat before untying her scarf.

“Welcome, everyone. We have three empty rooms and some extra cots, and plenty of blankets. We should all be able to camp out here for the night.”

She walks around murmuring comforting words to the worried and stressed out people who came in with the police officer. Arthur immediately feels like he should do something more to help.

“Someone can use my bed tonight,” Arthur says. He hands Guinevere his room key and she beams at him. 

“Thanks, Arthur. That’s kind of you,” she says before she’s back to talking to the new guests. Arthur feels pleased by the way Guinevere was looking at him. Arthur glances over to his right, where Merlin is staring at him with wide eyes.

“Oh don’t be so shocked. I can be nice, you know,” Arthur says dismissively. Merlin snorts, but doesn’t say anything else on the subject. 

He spends the rest of the day helping the new guests settle in and keeping an eye out for Gaius. Snow and sleet continually lashes against the windows, but the fire is warm and Morgana surprises the guests by passing out cookies.

He notices Guinevere struggling to carry a few jugs of hot cocoa and a plate of baked goods, so he rushes over to help her. After they set down the supplies on the dining room table, he brings up the fact that he almost certainly does not have enough money to pay for the extra night.

“I know you’re already pretty crowded and I’m really sorry to have to ask this, but I think I have to stay another night. It’s really important that I talk to Gaius.”

Guinevere keeps on tidying the front desk as she listens to him finish. 

“And money is a little tight right now so can I pay you back?” He finishes.He’s quite sure that he’s never been so embarrassed in his whole life. He never has had to ask for help with money before, and it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He’s afraid to look at Guinevere for fear of what he’ll find in her eyes. Probably judgment. And if she says no, Arthur doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

“Okay,” she finally says. Arthur exhales sharply, relieved. “But, you can help out around here to make up for it. I have six rooms that have to get cleaned before the day is over.”

Arthur nods in agreement. He can do that. He can’t remember the last time he’d actually cleaned anything, but worst case scenario he could ask Merlin for help. And Guinevere was smiling at him like he’d done something right, so he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

&

It turns out that cleaning is much harder than Arthur had expected. And he can’t even ask Merlin for help because left to help Morgana bake cookies.

It takes Arthur all day, but he’s quite proud of himself after he manages to make the beds and vacuum all of the rooms Guinevere asked him to take care of. He goes and finds her in the manager’s office at the end of the day, excited to tell him that the work is done.

When he knocks on the open door, he sees Guinevere with her head in her hands. There are stacks of papers all around her on the desk, and boxes stacked up on the ground along with ribbons and wrapping paper.

“Sorry to interrupt, I just wanted to see if there was something else I could help with.”

“Oh, I appreciate the help, Arthur. But the storm has really thrown a wrench into my holiday plans.”

Arthur frowns.

“Surely there’s something I can do,” Arthur says. He starts walking around the office, looking at all of the little odds and ends stacked on the shelves. There’s mini Santa sculptures, old-looking snow globes, and droopy santa hats. “What’s all this stuff for anyway?”

“It’s for the Christmas Eve silent action. We are raising money for Camelot’s homeless shelter. I just haven’t had time to go ask for donations.”

“Well, this santa charm is worth at least a million pounds,” Arthur jokes as he holds up the dilapidated old toy. 

Guinevere cracks a smile and gets up from the desk.

“Oh yeah? Well, you can have it.” Guinevere takes the toy from him only to hand it back. 

“I’ll treasure it forever.” Arthur says. He’s teasing, but he can’t help the way his gut clenches when Guinevere touches his hand. His fingers still feel warm as he pulls back. 

He leaves her to her work after that, but he can’t stop thinking about the silent auction. Surely there are some businesses in Camelot that would be willing to help out.

&

The next day he drags Merlin with him to every shop on Main Street. He cajoles, flirts, and pleads his way to nearly 15 different donation items by the time they are through.

“You know, you’re not so bad at this. Maybe you could be CEO of a gift company after all,” Merlin teases as they load up the car.

“Very funny, Merlin,” Arthur grouses. But he does feel good about helping out.

“You know, I’m sure Guinevere will be pleased with this,” Merlin adds with a sly smile.

“I didn’t do it for her. The homeless shelter could use the money! And it’s not like I had anything else planned today.”

“Right, right.” Merlin rolls his eyes and pokes him in the ribs. 

When they pull up to the Inn and Guinevere steps outside, Arthur can admit that seeing her face light up is its own reward. 

“You did all this?”

Arthur nods sheepishly as Morgana walks out the front door past Guinevere to have a look.

“Oh My God, Arthur Pendragon. You’ve really outdone yourself!” She says as she rushes down the stairs to gather him up into a hug. Arthur cringes. Morgana used his real last name. He looks over at Guinevere and watches her face fall. Her joy is replaced with anger and disappointment as she realizes that Arthur has been lying to her.

“You’re a Pendragon? You’re Uther Pendragon’s son?” Her voice is quiet.

“Shit, Guinevere. I was going to tell you, I just -” Arthur starts to explain.

“I guess we should have realized how _lucky_ we were to have a Pendragon staying at our humble little Inn,” Guinevere bites out. And then she turns on her heel and dashes back inside.

“I’m sorry, it just slipped out,” Morgana says as she holds up her hands and shrugs. Arthur glares at her.

“I really liked being here, Morgana. I liked that no one knew who I was. Look at what I accomplished on my own, without my Father’s name!” Arthur says as he points to the car, loaded down with donations.

Morgana puts her hand on her hip. Merlin is standing next to her, looking like he’s ready to intervene at a moment’s notice. Arthur crosses his arms, torn between wanting to be furious with Morgana and wanting to go after Guinevere.

Morgana takes one look at Arthur’s facial expression and must take pity on him, because her expression softens.

“Arthur, just let me talk to her,” Morgana says softly before she heads inside.

Merlin claps his hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“I think this is a good thing, all things considered. I mean, she had to find out sometime. And I know Gwen. She’ll come around.”

“Not helping,” Arthur grumbles. He helps Merlin unload all of the donations, but he keeps getting distracted when he remembers how angry Guinevere looked when she found out.

Once they’re done, Arthur heads to his room and starts frantically throwing clothes in his suitcase.

Merlin walks in with his eyes wide.

“What are you doing, Arthur?”

“We have to go. We can’t… I can’t stay here. Guinevere hates me, Gaius hasn’t turned up, I couldn’t accomplish the simple task of delivering a letter, and I can’t face her again. I can’t, Merlin,” Arthur says as he grabs Merlin’s arm.

“Okay,” Merlin says slowly. “I think you’re making a mistake, but I’ll drive us to the bus station.”

Merlin borrows Morgana’s car and helps Arthur load his bags without a single word.

“Why aren’t you prattling like usual?” Arthur asks in the car.

“Well, I think you need to stew,” Merlin says bluntly.

“Stew?”

“Yes. You should come to your own conclusions. Like maybe this Christmas Eve fundraiser that you helped with is pretty important. And you care about Guinevere and you should admit it.”

“I.. what?”

Merlin slams on the breaks and pulls the car over.

“Give me a break, Arthur.” Merlin sounds exasperated as he tugs at his hair.

Arthur crosses his arms and sighs. He looks outside the windshield at the softly falling snow, and thinks about Guinevere’s kind smiles and big heart. He thinks about how different she is from Sophia, and how much he wants to make Guinevere happy. 

He hates to admit when Merlin is right, but he’s going to have to swallow his pride.

“Can we just… fine. I want to go back.”

“Say I’m right first,” Merlin prods.

“Not a chance.” Arthur elbows him and Merlin laughs. Once he gets the car turned around, Arthur breathes a sigh of relief.

Back at the Inn, Arthur can’t find Guinevere anywhere. Nor Gaius. He also realizes he's completely lost track of his father's letter but considering he hasn't seen Gaius anywhere, he's more worried about Guinevere. He does run into Morgana, though. She doesn’t look surprised to see him.

“Where is she?” Arthur asks, worried.

“Just be at the Christmas Eve Party, okay?”

Her statement does nothing to calm Arthur’s anxiety, but he and Merlin do as instructed.

&

Merlin hasn’t even stopped the car before Arthur is opening the door and running into the crowded hall. He barely spares a glance for the silent auction tables because he immediately spots Guinevere in the crowd.

She’s wearing a simple red ankle-length dress and her hair is pulled up into a complicated bun. Arthur realizes he’s never seen her in a dress. 

“You look beautiful,” he says once he reaches her.

“You came back?” She eyes him warily, but her tone is friendly.

“I wanted to be here with you, and with Camelot,” he admits.

“I’m still mad that you lied to me, you know,” Guinevere says, but she’s smiling now. Arthur feels the knots in his stomach unwind. 

“I know, I deserve that. But for what it’s worth, you did a great job with everything.”

Arthur points at the huge Christmas tree, decorated with red tinsel and twinkling lights. He takes in the stage, covered with fake snow and candy canes. The silent auction table is packed with the donated items along with lights and tasteful green trees. The room really does look cheerful and bright.

“You should definitely take a look at the silent auction table. It’s going pretty well,” she says with a wink.

Arthur bites his lip, suddenly feeling shy. Guinevere looks so lovely as she dashes off to greet more guests and organize the children waiting in line for Santa. She’s really in her element hosting such a big event for Camelot, and Arthur feels grateful that he didn’t miss the party.

Then he looks back at the man dressed as Santa, complete with a long, white beard and a red hat. There’s something about him that Arthur can’t quite put his finger on.

“Hey,” Merlin says, a little out of breath as he jogs up to Arthur. “Did you declare your love? Did I miss it?”

“Sort of. But does Santa look familiar to you?” Arthur points up to the stage. Then it strikes him.

“Gaius!” they both say at the same time.

“If I could get everyone’s attention!” ‘Santa’ gets up from his big red chair and steps up to the microphone. 

Merlin and Arthur walk up to the stage, and Guinevere stands next to them. Arthur glances over at her with a soft smile. His heart feels full as he realizes he’s contributed to something he can actually be proud of. 

“It is an annual tradition in Camelot for Santa to read the Pendragon Enterprises Christmas Letter. And this year is extra special.” Gaius adjust his glasses, clears his throat, and unrolls a piece of paper before glancing over at Arthur. Arthur feels his eyes widen. That explains where the letter ended up.

“Dear Gaius, it is with great pleasure that I pass the mantle to my son, Arthur. I’m proud of all he has learned this year. I think you’ll agree with me when I say that Camelot, and Pendragon Enterprises, will be in good hands.”

The crowd cheers as Arthur turns to Guinevere. He’s never heard his Father say such openly affectionate things to him before and he feels his cheeks warming. He knows he won't feel complete without Guinevere’s approval, though.

Arthur turns to her and bites his lip, unsure of what to say. But Guinevere is already beaming at him.

“Is this the part where we kiss?” She whispers with a grin. He barely manages to nod before she leans in. Her lips are soft against his, and she smells like a Norway Spruce, and Arthur wraps his arms around her to hold her close. Arthur feels her warmth enveloping him and he sighs into the kiss.

Suddenly, the crowd gasps and Guinevere pulls back to glance over his shoulder. Arthur follows Guinevere’s line of sight to see Uther walking into the crowded hall. Arthur does a double-take, shocked that his father made the trip.

“Merry Christmas, everyone. Please, carry on,” he says as he walks up to Arthur with his hand out. Arthur totally bypasses his hand and pulls him into a hug.

“Looks like everyone is here,” Morgana says as she sweeps in with a glass and hands it to Arthur. 

Arthur takes the cue and raises a toast. His mind is reeling with plans to improve Pendragon Enterprises, but as he glances around the room, he sees the people of Camelot looking up at him. Gaius, Uther, Merlin, and Morgana are all holding their glasses up. And Guinevere is still smiling at him as she slips her hand into his. 

Arthur thinks that it’s okay to have his priorities straight. He doesn’t have to lead the way his father did.

“For the love of Camelot!” Arthur shouts.

The crowd shouts it back in unison, and Arthur turns to whisper in Guinevere’s ear.

“Thank you,” he says softly before kissing her cheek. “For the party, for the opportunity to help, for forgiving me.”

“You’re welcome,” she replies easily. 

Arthur sweeps her into a hug as the Christmas music picks back up. He knows that it will be tough for any future Christmas to a candle to this one.


End file.
